Nagpur: Amid reports of pink bollworm taking a major toll on the state's cotton crop, nearly 2 lakh farmers have filed complaints seeking compensation from manufacturers of genetically modified Bt cotton seed. The seed, which is manufactured by domestic companies using a technology provided by US giant Monsanto, is supposed to be resistant to the pest.
Given the intensity of the pest attack, state government has started a campaign inviting complaints from farmers against seed companies. The decision on amount of compensation to be paid will be taken after hearing the complainants as well as views of seed manufacturers.
"Considering the huge number of cotton farmers in the state, the number of complaints are very few," said sources in the state government.
Over 40 lakh hectares of farmland is under cotton. Hence, the average holding comes to 1.54 hectares per farmer. "Based on this, at least 10 lakh farmers were expected to have come forward seeking compensation," said sources who added that despite reports of a massive bollworm attack, the cotton production in the state has gone up.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his pre-winter session address to media said that the market arrivals have gone up as compared to November last year. "The production of other crops has also increased," he said.
A source in the government said as against 20 lakh quintals in November last year, the market arrivals of cotton are double during the same month this year. "Higher arrivals are an indication that the output has gone up," said sources.
Meanwhile, the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) has recommended that the state's cotton crop should be terminated in December so that it ends the lifecyle of a bollworm. Prolonging the crop leads to further breeding of the bollworm which attacks the next season's crop too. The CICR is an agency under Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).
However, the state government has written to the ICAR and union ministry of agriculture asking if prolonging the crop led to the pest attack and if agencies like CICR should have recommended early ending of varieties in Maharashtra.
If the varieties of 180 or 200 days duration are only recommended for Maharashtra there is no question of extending the crop beyond December. "In such case, the crop would not yield any cotton bolls after the period doing away with the risk of bollworm attack," says the communication by the state government to central agencies.
Government sources say the rampant use of illegal varieties of herbicide tolerant seeds is also one of the reasons for the pest crisis. The technology is originally developed by Monsanto which withdrew from trials subsequently. However, illegal variates of the herbicide tolerant seed are available in the market. The seed is resistant to herbicides which are sprayed to clear the weeds in the field. "But at the same time it has failed against bollworm leading to the attack," a source said.
Given the intensity of the pest attack, state government has started a campaign inviting complaints from farmers against seed companies. The decision on amount of compensation to be paid will be taken after hearing the complainants as well as views of seed manufacturers.
"Considering the huge number of cotton farmers in the state, the number of complaints are very few," said sources in the state government.
Over 40 lakh hectares of farmland is under cotton. Hence, the average holding comes to 1.54 hectares per farmer. "Based on this, at least 10 lakh farmers were expected to have come forward seeking compensation," said sources who added that despite reports of a massive bollworm attack, the cotton production in the state has gone up.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his pre-winter session address to media said that the market arrivals have gone up as compared to November last year. "The production of other crops has also increased," he said.
A source in the government said as against 20 lakh quintals in November last year, the market arrivals of cotton are double during the same month this year. "Higher arrivals are an indication that the output has gone up," said sources.
Meanwhile, the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) has recommended that the state's cotton crop should be terminated in December so that it ends the lifecyle of a bollworm. Prolonging the crop leads to further breeding of the bollworm which attacks the next season's crop too. The CICR is an agency under Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).
However, the state government has written to the ICAR and union ministry of agriculture asking if prolonging the crop led to the pest attack and if agencies like CICR should have recommended early ending of varieties in Maharashtra.
If the varieties of 180 or 200 days duration are only recommended for Maharashtra there is no question of extending the crop beyond December. "In such case, the crop would not yield any cotton bolls after the period doing away with the risk of bollworm attack," says the communication by the state government to central agencies.
Government sources say the rampant use of illegal varieties of herbicide tolerant seeds is also one of the reasons for the pest crisis. The technology is originally developed by Monsanto which withdrew from trials subsequently. However, illegal variates of the herbicide tolerant seed are available in the market. The seed is resistant to herbicides which are sprayed to clear the weeds in the field. "But at the same time it has failed against bollworm leading to the attack," a source said.
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